Permit Fees in Ohio

Ohio runs split editions. Commercial construction moved to a 2021 IBC base on March 1, 2024, but houses are still reviewed under the 2019 Residential Code of Ohio, built on the 2018 IRC. So a contractor citing "the 2021 code" on a house project is reading the commercial book. One scope quirk works in Ohio's favor: the RCO covers one-, two-, and three-family dwellings, a wider net than the model code's one-and-two-family-plus-townhouse reach.

Enforcement is a local choice. The state Board of Building Standards certifies municipal, township, and county building departments, and where no certified residential department exists, no state office backstops it; some corners of Ohio simply have no residential permit regime. Columbus runs a full program. Verified fees there: $752.10 for a bathroom or kitchen remodel permit and $200.90 for a roof or HVAC changeout.

Fees are set by each certified department; there is no statewide schedule. Before pricing a project outside a major city, find out who actually holds residential jurisdiction for your parcel. The BBS directory of certified departments answers it, and the answer is sometimes "nobody."

Sources: ORC 3781.10 (BBS certification) · Residential Code of Ohio (2018 IRC base) · 2024 Ohio Building Code rules · verified 2026-06